The Rule 5 Draft is MLB’s way of stopping teams from hoarding older minor-league talent. If a player has been in an organization for a set number of years and is not on the 40-man roster, any other club can pay a fee (currently $100,000) to draft him in the Major League phase. The catch: the new team has to keep that player on its 26-man active roster for the entire season, or else place him on waivers and offer him back to his original club.
Now, the draft has changed over the last century. So the process by which the players below were chosen has changed drastically. Many people will use 1990 as a cut-off, but that is boring.
So here are the 10 best Rule 5 Draft Picks of All-Time.
Best Rule 5 Draft Picks Since 1920
1. Roberto Clemente – RF
Rule 5 steal: from Brooklyn Dodgers → Pittsburgh Pirates (1954 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Brooklyn Dodgers
Selected by: Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rule 5 year: 1954
Career basics (1955–1972, Pirates only)
Games: 2,433
Slash line: .317 AVG / .359 OBP / .475 SLG
Hits: 3,000
Home runs: 240
RBI: 1,305
Runs: 1,416
Hardware
Awards: 1 MVP (1966), 15× All-Star, 12× Gold Glove, 2× World Series champion, 1× WS MVP.
Hall of Fame: First-ballot Hall of Famer (1973, special election).
2. Hack Wilson – CF
Rule 5 steal: from New York Giants → Chicago Cubs (mid-1920s Rule 5 era)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: New York Giants.
Selected by: Chicago Cubs
Rule 5 era: 1925.
Career basics (1923–1934)
Games: 1,348
Slash line: .307 AVG / .395 OBP / .545 SLG
Hits: 1,461
Home runs: 244
RBI: 1,063
Signature season (1930 Cubs)
HR: 56
RBI: 191 (still the single-season MLB record, recognized as 191 by MLB).
Hardware
4× NL HR leader.
Hall of Fame: Inducted by Veterans Committee in 1979.
3. Paul Blair – CF
Rule 5 steal: from New York Mets → Baltimore Orioles (1962 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: New York Mets.
Selected by: Baltimore Orioles.
Rule 5 year: 1962.
Career basics (1964–1980)
Teams: Orioles, Yankees, Reds.
Games: 1,947
Slash line: .250 AVG / .302 OBP / .382 SLG
Hits: 1,513
Home runs: 134
RBI: 620
Runs: 776
Hardware
Awards: 8× Gold Glove, 4× World Series champion (Orioles core CF of a dynasty run).
Reputation: One of the best defensive center fielders of his era.
4. George Bell – LF
Rule 5 steal: from Philadelphia Phillies → Toronto Blue Jays (1980 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Philadelphia Phillies.
Selected by: Toronto Blue Jays.
Rule 5 year: 1980.
Career basics (1981–1993)
Teams: Blue Jays, Cubs, White Sox.
Games: 1,587
Slash line: .278 AVG / .316 OBP / .469 SLG
Hits: 1,702
Home runs: 265
RBI: 1,002
Runs: 814
Hardware
AL MVP: 1987 (47 HR, 134 RBI).
Awards: 3× Silver Slugger, 3× All-Star.
5. Bobby Bonilla – 3B/RF
Rule 5 steal: from Pittsburgh Pirates → Chicago White Sox (1985 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Pittsburgh Pirates.
Selected by: Chicago White Sox.
Rule 5 year: 1985 (Pirates later re-acquired him, then he blossomed).
Career basics (1986–2001)
Teams: White Sox, Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, Cardinals.
Games: 2,113
Slash line: .279 AVG / .358 OBP / .472 SLG
Hits: 2,010
Home runs: 287
RBI: 1,173
Runs: 1,084
Hardware
Awards: 6× All-Star, 3× Silver Slugger, 1× World Series champion (1997 Marlins).
6. Johan Santana – LHP
Rule 5 steal: from Houston Astros → Florida Marlins → Minnesota Twins (1999 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Houston Astros.
Selected by: Florida Marlins in Rule 5, immediately traded to the Twins.
Rule 5 year: 1999.
Career basics (2000–2012)
Teams: Twins, Mets.
Games (G): 360
Record: 139–78 (.641 W-L%)
ERA: 3.20
IP: 2,025.2
Strikeouts: 1,988
Hardware
Awards: 2× Cy Young (2004, 2006), 1× Gold Glove, 4× All-Star.
League-leading: Multiple seasons leading AL in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP.
7. Dan Uggla – 2B
Rule 5 steal: from Arizona Diamondbacks → Florida Marlins (2005 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Arizona Diamondbacks.
Selected by: Florida Marlins.
Rule 5 year: 2005 (debuted 2006).
Career basics (2006–2015)
Teams: Marlins, Braves, Giants, Nationals.
Games: 1,346
Slash line: .241 AVG / .336 OBP / .447 SLG
Hits: 1,149
Home runs: 235
RBI: 706
Runs: 759
Hardware
Awards: 3× All-Star, 1× Silver Slugger.
Notable: First 2B in MLB history with four seasons of 30+ HR.
8. Shane Victorino – OF
Rule 5 steal: from Los Angeles Dodgers → Philadelphia Phillies (2004 Rule 5 Draft)
(Earlier: Dodgers → Padres in 2002 Rule 5, then returned and later lost again.)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization (second time): Los Angeles Dodgers.
Selected by: Philadelphia Phillies.
Rule 5 year: 2004 (took off with PHI by 2006–07).
Career basics (2003–2015)
Teams: Padres, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels.
Games: 1,299
Slash line: .275 AVG / .340 OBP / .425 SLG
Hits: 1,274
Home runs: 108
RBI: 489
Runs: 731
Stolen bases: 231
Hardware
Awards: 2× World Series champion (2008 PHI, 2013 BOS), 4× Gold Glove, 2× All-Star.
9. Josh Hamilton – OF
Rule 5 steal: from Tampa Bay Devil Rays → Chicago Cubs (2006 Rule 5 Draft, then traded to Reds)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Tampa Bay Devil Rays (former No. 1 overall pick).
Selected by: Chicago Cubs; immediately traded to Cincinnati Reds, who then dealt him to Texas.
Rule 5 year: 2006 (debut 2007).
Career basics (2007–2015)
Teams: Reds, Rangers, Angels.
Games: 1,027
Slash line: .290 AVG / .349 OBP / .516 SLG
Hits: 1,134
Home runs: 200
RBI: 701
Runs: 609
Hardware
Awards: 2010 AL MVP, 5× All-Star, 3× Silver Slugger, 2010 ALCS MVP.
10. José Bautista – RF/3B
Rule 5 steal: from Pittsburgh Pirates → Baltimore Orioles (2003 Rule 5 Draft)
Rule 5 details
Prior organization: Pittsburgh Pirates.
Selected by: Baltimore Orioles.
Rule 5 year: 2003 (bounced through several teams in 2004 before landing back with PIT and then TOR).
Career basics (2004–2018)
Teams: Orioles, Devil Rays, Royals, Pirates, Blue Jays, Braves, Mets, Phillies.
Games: 1,798
Slash line: .247 AVG / .361 OBP / .475 SLG
Hits: 1,496
Home runs: 344
RBI: 975
Runs: 1,022
Hardware
Awards: 6× All-Star, 3× Silver Slugger.
Signature: Back-to-back HR titles (54 in 2010, 43 in 2011) and the famous 2015 ALDS bat flip.
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